Nokia 6 2018 with Snapdragon 630 is now up for sale in India for $260
HMD Global unveiled the Nokia 6 last year, and while the phone had a durable chassis crafted out of aluminum and a sleek design, its internals left a lot to be desired. The Snapdragon 430 chipset wasn't powerful enough to drive the Full HD panel, and as a result the phone felt sluggish. Thankfully, HMD is making amends with the 2018 variant, which features a much more powerful Snapdragon 630 chipset.
The overall design is largely identical to last year, and that's a good thing as the Nokia 6 is one of the most durable phones around (HMD even played air hockey with Nokia 6 units to demonstrate their durability).
The phone is crafted out of series 6000 aluminum, and offers a 5.5-inch Full HD panel layered with Gorilla Glass 3. HMD decided to go with an 18:9 panel on the Nokia 7 Plus, and it should have done the same for the Nokia 6 2018 — the 16:9 form factor makes the phone feel antiquated against the likes of the Redmi Note 5 Pro.
The rest of the specs include the aforementioned 2.2GHz Snapdragon 630, which is paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. There's also a 16MP camera at the back along with an 8MP front shooter, a microSD card slot, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 5.0, LTE Cat 4 modem, FM radio, dual SIM card slots, USB-C, and a 3000mAh battery.
HMD has finally ironed out the kinks from the first-gen model, but the budget segment in India is fiercely competitive. The Redmi Note 5 Pro retails at the same price point, and you get a beefier Snapdragon 636 chipset, 6GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and a class-leading camera.
The Nokia 6 2018, on the other hand, is all about the durable design coupled with Android One. Ultimately, it comes down to what you're looking for — the Nokia 6 2018 will be one of the first phones in this segment to receive updates, and while it may not have the hardware grunt of the Redmi Note 5 Pro, it offers a much better software experience.
Starting this year, HMD has started selling phones direct from its online store, dubbed Nokia Shop. You'll be able to pick up the Nokia 6 2018 from the storefront for ₹16,999 ($260), with the device available in black and white color options. There's a convoluted cashback scheme that will net you ₹2,000 back provided you're an Airtel customer, and HMD has other launch offers as well.
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Harish Jonnalagadda is Android Central's Senior Editor of Asia. In his current role, he oversees the site's coverage of Chinese phone brands, networking products, and AV gear. He has been testing phones for over a decade, and has extensive experience in mobile hardware and the global semiconductor industry. Contact him on Twitter at @chunkynerd.